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Dot Branning
Dorothy "Dot" Branning (née Colwell, also Cotton) is the mother of criminal Nick Cotton and a long-standing Albert Square resident. She is also the wife of the late Jim Branning. History Backstory Dot was born in Walford, and was evacuated to Wales as a child during the Second World War. Her guardians, Gwen and Will, wished to adopt her, but Dot returned to Walford after Will's death and spent the remainder of her childhood helping her neglectful mother care for her younger half-siblings: Gerry, Tim and Rose. Aged 18, Dot married Charlie Cotton. The following year, he forced her to have an abortion; threatening to leave her if she did not, but left anyway. While Dot was giving birth to their son, Nick, Charlie was having an affair with her sister, Rose, in Liverpool. She raised Nick alone, with Charlie making unannounced returns and departures sporadically, and although Dot doted on Nick, she was not an affectionate mother. 1985–1993 Dot moved to Albert Square and worked with Pauline Fowler at the Walford launderette. She has a difficult life with a criminal husband, Charlie, and their son Nick. Charlie comes and goes, always treating Dot badly and stealing from her, until he dies in a lorry accident. Nick is also a criminal; he is involved in drugs, robberies and murder, and tries to cheat Dot out of her money. He attempts to poison her to inherit her bingo winnings, but is unsuccessful. Despite Nick's deeds, Dot believes he can be redeemed. Dot also associates herself as Walford's Good Samaritan, often taking in residents when they are homeless. Amongst these include Colin Russell and Donna Ludlow, who becomes addicted to drugs. Dot believes that she can help Donna change for the better, but comes home one day to find Donna dead in her lounge. It is concluded that she died after choking on her own vomit, and Dot is devastated. However, Dot causes trouble for certain residents too, although not intentionally. She is responsible for the break-up of Saeed Jeffery's marriage to Naima Jeffery. Due to the lack of lust in his marriage to Naima, Saeed begins visiting sex workers. After continual pressure, Naima relents and finally consummates her marriage to Saeed, improving things between the couple (their marriage was arranged to begin with, much to their disliking), but their marital bliss is short-lived. Naima receives an anonymous letter from Dot, who has discovered Saeed's sordid exploits. Dot feels it is her Christian duty to inform Saeed's wife, and when Naima confronts Saeed, he does not deny it so she leaves him. In 1989, Nick tells Dot during an off-screen prison visit that he is married to a woman called Hazel, and that the couple have young daughter; Nick had avoided telling her due to their strained relationship. Hazel visits Dot with the baby, Dorothy Nicola, in May of the same year, revealing that Nick got 240 hours of community service) instead of a prison sentence. In 1993, Nick's girlfriend Zoe Newton arrives in Walford and introduces Dot to their nine-year-old son, Ashley Cotton (Rossi Higgins). Dot becomes close to Ashley and eventually Zoe asks her to move to Gravesend with them. Dot then leaves Albert Square. 1997- Dot returns nearly four years later when Nigel Bates tracks her down. She reveals that Nick has been arrested for drugs possession and Zoe and Ashley have moved away. After being held hostage by a convict friend of Nick, she returns to the square and is shocked when Nick returns unexpectedly. He tries to steal her money again by claiming he has AIDS and needs money to pay for illegally imported medication. Dot believes him but later discovers it is a lie and he is on the run from the police. She contacts the police, and he is arrested a week after his return. Dot moves in with fellow senior citizen Lilly Mattock and is arrested for the illegal use of cannabis, which she confuses for herbal tea. When Lilly leaves after she is mugged, Dot moves in with Pauline. Her oldest friend Ethel also comes to stay with the Fowlers for a time, having become terminally ill. Ethel begs Dot to help her end her life. Torn between her Christian beliefs against euthanasia and her best friend's wishes, she helps Ethel to die, but later feels she should be jailed for murder. When the police do not believe her story, Dot demands retribution in another form and she ends up in court for shoplifting. She initially avoids a prison sentence but is imprisoned for 14 days for contempt of court following an outburst in the courtroom.12 When Nick and Ashley (now Frankie Fitzgerald) reappear in Walford, Dot is pleased to have her family around and moves out of the Fowler household to live with them. However, Nick's feud with Pauline's son, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), causes Ashley's death after Nick cuts the brakes on Mark's motorbike and Ashley steals it and crashes. Dot disowns Nick after Ashley's funeral, having overheard the truth about Ashley's death during an earlier argument between Nick and Mark. She starts a relationship with neighbour Jim Branning (John Bardon), but when he proposes, she is overwhelmed and leaves Walford. Jim perseveres and when they go on the London Eye one Christmas Eve, he proposes again and she accepts. They decide that they will have a platonic marital relationship. Dot is diagnosed with kidney cancer and decides not to tell anyone except her friend Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman). She initially refuses treatment and plans to die quietly, but is eventually persuaded to undergo chemotherapy and makes a full recovery. When Dot finds an abandoned baby, Tomas, in a church, she takes him home, leaving her contact details at the church and subsequently Tomas' mother Anya (Olga Fedori) arrives in Walford, revealing she is an illegal immigrant. Jim anonymously reports Anya and when she is deported, Dot hides Tomas from the authorities, vowing to take care of him. Dot and Jim struggle to look after the baby and, after talking to the local vicar and her old friend Dr. Harold Legg (Leonard Fenton), Dot decides to hand him over to Social Services. Jim suffers a stroke, leaving him seriously ill. Jim is placed in a nursing home, but Dot struggles with this decision and tries at a later date to care for Jim at home. However, she finds being a full-time carer exhausting and lonely. Eventually, after Dot experiences ill-health brought on by stress, Jim moves back to a nursing home. When Nick returns after a seven year absence, he tells Dot he has changed and is now a plumber, introducing her to his six-year-old daughter Dotty Cotton (Molly Conlin). However, Dot discovers that Nick is only there for her money. She refuses to pay him, so he tells her if she does not, she cannot see Dotty. Dot gives Nick the money and looks after Dotty. It is revealed Dotty and Nick are planning to kill Dot for her life insurance. They convince her that she has symptoms of dementia, but their plan backfires when Dotty exposes the plot. In a rage, Nick holds various members of the community hostage in the café, resulting in an explosion. Nick survives and after being disowned again by Dot, he informs her that Dotty had masterminded the murder plot before fleeing. Dotty is retrieved by her mother, Sandy (Caroline Pegg), following various devious deeds, such as accusing Dot of beating her, which leads to Dot being questioned by the police for child abuse. Nevertheless, Dot is sorry to see Dotty go. Dot develops a friendship with vicar Edward Bishop (Frank Barrie), who develops romantic intentions towards her. Dot turns Edward down, remaining loyal to her husband. She takes in various lodgers, including Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb (Ricky Norwood), her sister Rose and Cora Cross (Ann Mitchell), who causes Dot problems with the council for failing to pay the rent, leaving her in arrears. Dot is taken to court but manages to persuade the judge to allow her to keep her home and avoids a prison sentence. Fatboy later allows his girlfriend Poppy Meadow (Rachel Bright) to move in with him and Dot, and Dot forms a close bond with Poppy. When Fatboy and Poppy break up and Poppy moves out, Fatboy gently assures Dot that she and Poppy are still friends. Dot receives a police visit, informing her that Nick has died. One of the police officers returns later to tell her that he is actually her grandson Charlie Cotton (Declan Bennett), a child of Nick's Dot had not known existed. A devastated Dot holds a funeral for Nick and grows close to Charlie in the aftermath as he moves in with Dot, causing Fatboy to move out. However, it is later revealed that Charlie is being dishonest and although he is Nick's son, he is not a policeman but a caretaker and that he has helped Nick stage his own death to avoid being arrested following a robbery. Nick reappears in Walford to Dot's shock and persuades his mother to hide him at her house. Although horrified that Charlie and Nick lied to her, she forgives Charlie and agrees to aid Nick's escape from the UK, this time for good. However, Nick later realises that he does not want to leave and gets embroiled in a feud with Charlie's fiancée, Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), who tries and fails to ensure his departure. This leads to Nick tampering with the brakes of Charlie's car and the resulting crash leaves a pregnant Ronnie comatose in hospital. When Charlie discovers this, he demands that Nick leave, and as Charlie moves out to live at Ronnie's flat, Fatboy moves back in with Dot. However, Dot, unwilling to give up on her son, hides Nick in a derelict neighbouring house. Unable to leave the premises, Nick starts using heroin again but cannot feed his drug addiction and asks Dot to obtain drugs for him. Dot purchases the heroin but Fatboy catches her and urges her to cut ties with Nick. Dot urges Nick to confess to the police, but when he tells her he does not feel remorse for Ronnie's injuries, she gives him the drugs and storms out. Dot later finds Nick unconscious, having had a bad reaction to the drugs. When it is clear Nick is dying, Nick confesses various past misdemeanours, including the murder of Reg Cox (Johnnie Clayton). Nick seeks his mother's forgiveness and she cradles him as he dies, ultimately deciding not to call an ambulance to attempt to save his life. Dot, seeking punishment for this, decides to confess to the police and is arrested and imprisoned. Dot initially decides to plead guilty, believing she should atone for her sins in prison, but when Jim dies, she attends his funeral and realises how much her family needs her. She changes her plea and is cleared of murder at the court hearing; however, she is found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to prison for 14 months. Four months later, Dot is released and shares her regret with Ian that she did not report Nick's crimes earlier in life. Fatboy tells Dot he is spending Christmas with his father, but later Vincent Hubbard (Richard Blackwood) discovers Fatboy's belongings amongst some blood in the boot of a crushed car and tells Dot that Fatboy is not coming back because of a job abroad. Dot takes salsa classes and works with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) to prepare for a salsa show, who mistakenly thinks she wants a relationship, but she actually sets him and Claudette Hubbard(Ellen Thomas) up on a date. Dot receives a wedding invitation from her old friend, Colin, but she does not want to attend because she does not believe in homosexual marriage. Colin visits her on his wedding day to persuade her to come, which she does. Dot discovers the launderette will become a dry cleaner and is interviewed for her own job; she struggles with the technical terminology but defends herself as a people person. However, she is told that she will not be kept on after the launderette is refurbished. She tries to contact her boss by telephone but when she finally gets through, he hangs up. Ricky Mitchell (Henri Charles) learns about the harvest festival and leaves a box of food on Dot's doorstep, which offends her as she does not believe she is poor or lonely, however, she realises just how lonely she is when Abi is unable to have dinner with her. Dot and Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson) are involved in a car collision, but both blame the other as Kim has no licence but Kim accuses Dot of being too old to drive. Dot then locks her car key away. After Patrick and Dot go to the cinema together, he convinces her to see an optician because she was squinting throughout. Dot is seen hiding away in her house on Halloween and Patrick comes to talk to her. Dot says her hatred of Halloween is due to awful things happening on Halloween, such as Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) getting electrocuted and Max Branning (Jake Wood) getting run over. She then tries to read the Bible to Patrick but cannot see the words. Patrick tells her she isn't scared of Halloween but of the world. Dot reveals that she thinks she is going blind but then kicks Patrick out of the house. When he leaves, it is revealed that Dot cannot see anything clearly. Patrick books Dot a doctor's appointment; the doctor suspects age-related macular degeneration, which is later confirmed. Dot starts treatment but she is annoyed that her eyesight does not improve much. She turns down Ronnie's offer of paying for surgery to permanently fix her sight. Abi invites Dot to Christmas in Exeter but Dot insists she has plans of her own. The launderette closes on Christmas Eve, but everyone is too busy to visit her. She finds a Christmas mixtape recorded by her deceased friend Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison), and takes in a stray cat, which she eventually names Dave. She spends Christmas Day alone, but when Patrick realises she has not gone to Exeter, he invites her to The Queen Victoria public house where everyone is celebrating Christmas, and her neighbours present her with the gift of a washing machine. When Ronnie, the wife of Dot's former stepson, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), and her sister Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), mother of one of Jack's children, both die, Dot tells the children that they are in heaven, helping them to understand after Jack struggles to find an appropriate way to tell them. When Jack is unable to take Dot to the garden centre, she decides to drive herself with her great-grandson, Matthew Mitchell Cotton, but drives through a no entry sign into oncoming traffic and ends up in the verge. Dot is surprised when Charlie returns but he is only back for his son and she is upset when he leaves again with Matthew. Dot's step-granddaughter Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) lives with her for a while but moves out with Dot's blessing. Dot trips over Dave and falls awkwardly onto a chair. Nobody knows she is injured until her step-granddaughter, Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), finds her. Dot is then taken to hospital and Sonia blames her neighbours for not looking out her and scolds Sharon and Ian. Dot is worried when the doctor tells her that she will need an operation on her hip but she refuses physiotherapy. Dot goes to stay with Dotty for three months, returning when she hears that Abi is brainstem dead after an accident. Dot is surprised to see the launderette had reopened and Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) is working there. After attending Abi's funeral, Dot goes to stay with Charlie, Liz and Matthew in Ireland. Dot returns several months later. She is worried about her health and despite being told by her doctor that she is fine, she visits Dr Legg. He confirms that she is in good health and reveals he is dying of pancreatic cancer. Dot is shocked that he is refusing treatment but eventually accepts his decision and decides to make the most of the time they have left together. Dot returned to Walford in October 2019 with granddaughter Dotty in tow. Background information * Although Dot had been referred to since the very early episodes of the programme as the mother of villain Nick Cotton, she did not actually appear on-screen until Episode 40. * Dot was conceptualised by show creators, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, along with the other original characters. * Upon her arrival, Dot was quickly established as the gossip, whose purpose, as author Anthony Slide sees it, was "that of a Greek chorus, commenting on the foibles of her fellow residents of Albert Square, from her vantage point as manager of the local launderette". * An enduring friendship featured in EastEnders was the one shared between the characters Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner, first shown on-screen in 1985 and ending with Ethel's death in 2000, though the characters shared a backstory set prior to 1985 and were scripted as neighbours who grew old together in East London, along with Lou Beale. First and last lines "Give us a tea, Lofty. And a glass of water, so I can take a paracetamol." - (First line). Gallery Dot Cotton (Tallulah Pitt-Brown).jpg|Dot Cotton played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in Dot's Story Dot Branning Driving Licence.jpg|Dot Branning Driving Licence Dot Branning Counterpart.jpg|Dot Branning Counterpart Jim and Dot.jpg|Promotional photo of Jim and Dot Branning Dot Branning Pictures.jpg|Dot Branning easties dot with man 4 feb 1988.png|Dot chats to a man in The Vic, 4 February 1988. Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale.jpg|Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale Cotton Family.jpg|Cotton Family Photo Dot Cotton Name Card.png|Dot Cotton - Name Card Dot Cotton Promo.jpg|Dot Cotton Promo elib_6350471.jpg.405046d3e60ce31c1621b88b472f4a35.jpg Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Current Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Mothers Category:Cotton Family Category:Branning and Jackson family Category:Killers Category:1956 Marriages Category:2002 Marriages Category:1935 Births Category:1985 Arrivals Category:Launderette Owners Category:Original Characters Category:Episode Count to be Confirmed